Captain Douglas Charles Clavering RN FRS (8 September 1794 – mid-1827) was an officer of the British Royal Navy and Arctic explorer.
Clavering was born at Holyrood House, the eldest son of Brigadier-General Henry Mordaunt Clavering (1759–1850) and Lady Augusta Campbell (1760–1831), the daughter of John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll. His grandfather was Lieutenant-General John Clavering, who had served as Commander-in-Chief, India, from 1774.
Despite his impeccable military antecedents Clavering elected to serve in the Navy. Joining at a young age, he served as a midshipman under Sir Philip Broke in the frigate Shannon. Clavering distinguished himself during the battle with USS Chesapeake in June 1813, and was honourably mentioned in Broke's report. He then served as a lieutenant aboard the sloop-of-war Spey in the Mediterranean, and in 1821 was appointed commander of the sloop Pheasant, on the coast of Africa.
While on passage to join his ship, he struck up a close friendship with Captain Edward Sabine, who was travelling to Africa to commence a series of observations on the length of the seconds pendulum. At Clavering's request the Pheasant was chosen to carry Sabine while making his observations. These were made at Sierra Leone, the Island of St Thomas, Ascension Island, Bahia, Maranhão, Trinidad, Jamaica, and New York City. In the course of the voyage Clavering also made an extensive series of observations on the direction and force of the equatorial current and the Gulf Stream.
The results of Sabine's observations were published on the return of Pheasant to England, and the Board of Longitude determined that they should be continued to the most northerly latitude which was possible to reach. For this purpose the brig HMS Griper, which had already adapted for Arctic voyages, and used in William Parry's first expedition in 1819–20, was selected, and Clavering appointed to command her on 1 March 1823.
In January 1825 Clavering was appointed commander of brig-sloop Redwing on the West Africa Squadron, engaged in the suppression of the slave trade. Redwing sailed from Sierra Leone in June 1827 and was never seen again. Wreckage washed ashore in November near Mataceney suggested that lightning had started a fire that destroyed her.